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GEdit Version 2.01 Released on July 1, 1993 Written by Chris Patterson COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of the contents of this document may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written permission of The Developers Network, Inc. This document was written using Microsoft Word for Windows. Names of products mentioned herein are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Microsoft and MS-DOS are registered trademarks and Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents Table of Contents .............................................3 Words from the Author .........................................4 Shareware Notice ..............................................5 Disclaimer and Warranty Information ......................5 Distribution ..................................................6 Obtaining the Latest Version of GEdit ....................6 Registering GEdit .............................................7 Competitive Upgrade ......................................7 Registration Benefits ....................................7 GEdit Registration Form .......................................8 Introduction ..................................................9 Features .................................................9 Technical Features .......................................11 Installation ..................................................12 The GEdit Environment Variable ...........................12 Installing GEdit on Your BBS .............................13 Installing GEdit for Use With BlueWave ...................14 Command-Line Parameters .......................................15 Using GEdit ...................................................16 Entering a Message .......................................16 Editing a Message ........................................17 Quoting Original Message Text ............................17 Controlling GEdit from the Local Keyboard .....................19 User Interface Features ..................................19 Moving and Resizing Windows ..............................19 Using Dialog Boxes .......................................19 The Editing Window .......................................20 The Status Bar ...........................................20 Color Configuration ......................................20 The GEdit Menu System .........................................21 The Main Menu ............................................21 The Message Menu .........................................21 The Quote Menu ...........................................22 The Help Menu ............................................23 The Terminal Menu ........................................23 Keyboard Reference ............................................25 Sysop Keys ...............................................27 Programmable Function Keys ....................................29 Appendix A ....................................................30 The QuickBBS-style MSGTMP External Editor Interface ......30 Appendix B ....................................................32 Troubleshooting Problems .................................32 Appendix C ....................................................33 The DOS Application Class Library ........................33 Index .........................................................36 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 4 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Words from the Author It has been just over a year since the first version of GEdit was released. I must admit, I was surprised to see how quickly GEdit became the most talked about editor for QuickBBS clones. Almost every system I have called is now using GEdit. There haven't been many updates released over the past year. GEdit has been working great for many Sysops. However, some have had problems getting GEdit to work properly in their configurations. This was partially due to some inherent problems in the libraries and partially due to poor application design. New BBS packages were being released and updated at an alarming rate, each one making it's own changes to the original QuickBBS data files. Since GEdit was originally written to work with RemoteAccess, the application was tied closely to the RemoteAccess data files. It was at this point I began to redesign GEdit from the ground up. GEdit 2.01 is the result of the past year's work. The new GEdit is written in pure C++ source code. The new BBS interface routines are completely object-oriented with a separate module defined for each individual BBS package. This makes adding support for a new BBS package easy and allows for more complete support of each package. Since each module is self-contained, changes made for one BBS will not affect the support for other packages. (This was made obvious when version 1.00.06/Gamma was released and the QuickBBS and SuperBBS support was broken.) Despite the overwhelming response to GEdit, registrations haven't matched up to the number of Sysops using GEdit. To be honest, registrations haven't even come close. Because of this, I considered releasing GEdit 2.01 for registered users only. However, due to the number of changes in version 2.01, I am going to make one more Shareware release. Hopefully, Sysops will realize that GEdit is a quality product worth registering. This 2.01 release of GEdit will be the first of several that will be released over the next several months. Many new features are being added to make GEdit even better. I encourage you to register your copy of GEdit 2.01 to make sure that you will be able to use all of the new features. The functionality of GEdit 2.01 will become the base feature set for future unregistered releases. I hope you enjoy using the all new GEdit 2.01. If you have any questions or comments regarding GEdit, see the support section of the manual for information on contacting the author. Chris Patterson, GEdit Author ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 5 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Shareware Notice GEdit is distributed as Shareware. You are licensed to use GEdit for evaluation purposes only. After evaluating GEdit, you are encouraged to register (purchase) GEdit. Registering your copy of GEdit not only gives you peace of mind, but helps support future versions as well. The Developers Network, Inc. retains all rights to GEdit and it's source code. The source code is not available to the public and remains the intellectual property of The Developers Network, Inc. No disassembly, reverse-engineering or modification of the executable images is allowed. Use of an executable file compression utility such as PK*Lite is allowed, however, product performance can no longer be guaranteed. Disclaimer and Warranty Information GEdit is provided to the user "AS IS" with absolutely no warranties or guarantees of any kind. The Developers Network, Inc. disclaims all warranties, either expressed or implied. The entire risk as to the results and operation of GEdit is assumed by you, the user. The Developers Network, Inc. does not make any claims, promises or guarantees as to the ability to use or inability to use GEdit and cannot and do not accept any responsibility for system damage, loss of profit, or any other special, incidental or consequential damages resulting from the use or inability to use this product. Furthermore, The Developers Network, Inc. reserves the right to revise this publication and to make changes from time to time in the content hereof without obligation of The Developers Network, Inc. to notify any person or organization of such revision or changes. Caution has been taken to prevent any harmful or dangerous programming errors in this software program. However, The Developers Network, Inc. will take no liability for damages either from the direct or consequential use of this product. If GEdit happens to destroy data, reformat your hard disk, burn out your monitor or anything else that happens due to your use or inability to use this program, you are on your own. We strongly recommend that you back up any files that may come in contact with GEdit, including BBS configuration and data files. Regularly scheduled backups should be an important part of your weekly routine due to the random nature of computer hardware failure. The only guarantee is that GEdit will occupy space on your hard disk. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 6 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Distribution GEdit may be distributed by anyone, as long as the following rules are followed: Nothing is modified, added or deleted in the original files. No additional files may be added to the distribution archive, however, the archive format may be changed. Do not include BBS advertisements or logos in the GEdit distribution archive! No fee is charged for distribution. Bulletin board system operators may charge a fee for the BBS itself, but no extra charges for downloading GEdit are allowed. Shareware distributors may not make a profit from distributing GEdit unless they have written permission from The Developers Network, Inc. If you wish to include GEdit in your Shareware collection, please contact The Developers Network, Inc. to obtain the appropriate agreement. GEdit may not be included with any other software package unless the distributor obtains written permission from The Developers Network, Inc. Registration keys for GEdit may not be distributed to anyone by any unauthorized individuals or organizations. The only parties eligible to distribute GEdit registration keys are properly authorized registration sites. GEdit key files contain personal information about the registered user and should remain confidential. Registered users may not give their KEY files to anyone. If you give your KEY file to another user, your own personal information will be displayed on their system. Use of an unauthorized registration key other than one provided to you by The Developers Network, Inc. constitutes a violation of the license agreement. Obtaining the Latest Version of GEdit The most recent version of GEdit is always available from the The Developers Network BBS. The BBS is available 23 hours per day and supports baud rates of 2400 through 19200 BPS. Both v.32bis and ZyXEL protocols are available. The Developers Network BBS 1-918-251-6252 (U.S.A.) 1:170/303 (FidoNET) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 7 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Registering GEdit After evaluating GEdit, you must pay for GEdit by registering your copy. To register, simply complete the registration form on the following page and send it, along with the appropriate amount in United States currency (cash, check or money order) to: The Developers Network, Inc. P.O. Box 1660 Broken Arrow, OK 74013 USA Please make all checks payable to: The Developers Network, Inc. To register using a credit card, you must contact the Public (software) Library . You can use your Master Card, Visa, American Express or Discover card. Complete the registration form so that all the necessary information is available. Then contact the PsL at: United States (voice) 1-800-242-4PsL (4775) Overseas (voice) 1-713-524-6394 FAX 1-713-524-6398 CompuServe 71344,470 Please allow 2 to 4 weeks for your registration to be processed. Competitive Upgrade If you are a registered owner of TopEd, QuickEd, or EzyEdit, you can upgrade to GEdit for a reduced price. See the order form for more information. Proof of registration is required. If you want to use the credit card registration, the upgrade pricing is not available. Registration Benefits Registering your copy of GEdit will remove all of the limitations and registration messages. You will also receive priority service in response to questions and suggestions. All suggestions from registered users are considered for future releases of GEdit. You are also granted free access to The Developers Network BBS. The BBS always contains the most recent version of GEdit and has an area for discussing GEdit enhancements and improvements. There are also over 650 megabytes of Shareware and public domain software available for download. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 8 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- GEdit Registration Form PsL Part #10808 Sysop Name: ___________________________________ System Name: ___________________________________ Mailing Address: ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Voice Phone: ___________________________________ BBS Software: ___________________________________ BBS Phone: ___________________________________ BBS Network Inf.: ___________________________________ GEdit Version: ___________________________________ How would you like your GEdit key delivered? _____ FidoNET File Attach, specify address: _______________ _____ UUENCODED E-Mail, specify address: __________________ _____ CompuServe E-Mail, specify address: _________________ _____ Postal Service Mail, specify disk format: ___________ Registration Amount Enclosed: _____ Regular Registration, $20 _____ Competitive Upgrade, $15 _____ Credit Card Registration, $25 Credit Card Number ______________________________ Expiration Date ______________________________ Signature ______________________________ (Pricing for GEdit is current as of this manuals) (release date shown in the page header) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 9 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Introduction Thank you for trying GEdit. GEdit is a feature loaded full-screen message editor for use with on-line bulletin board systems. GEdit has the widest compatibility of any full-screen message editor, supporting most of the newest QuickBBS-style BBS packages. GEdit will improve your bulletin board system by providing a fast and easy method for users to enter and reply to messages. GEdit has an easy-to-use and learn editing facility and includes many advanced features not found in any other editor. GEdit should run on any IBM-PC, PC-XT or 100% compatible system with at least 350k of free conventional memory. It will work with either a color or monochrome monitor and requires MS-DOS version 3.0 or later. GEdit 1.00 was first introduced on March 15, 1992. Over the past year, GEdit has been drastically improved over the original releases. There is not one line of the original code in this new version. The functionality and extendibility of the program has been increased to provide more features and less programming errors. GEdit version 2.01 includes full support for RemoteAccess , EzyCom, SuperBBS, ProBoard and QuickBBS . GEdit will automatically determine under which environment it is running and adjust itself accordingly. There are certain restrictions to this automatic detection that are detailed in the Installation section of this manual. GEdit can also be used with the various off-line mail readers such as BlueWave. This allows users to use the familiar interface of GEdit when editing messages off-line as well as on-line. Features Full support for RemoteAccess, EzyCom, SuperBBS, and QuickBBS. At release time, GEdit has been tested with the most recent version of the above listed software packages. See the requirements section for the specific version information. The easiest installation of any full-screen editor in the business. Simply install GEDIT.EXE as the full-screen message editor and forget about anything else forever. No configuration is necessary. All information is read from the software configuration files for the fastest setup of any editor! Support for ANSI, ANSI 3.64, AVATAR/0 and AVATAR/0+ emulation codes. The emulation mode can be configured by the user to eliminate any possible compatibility problems. ANSI support level is automatically determined. Compatible with DOORWAY/AVATAR remote keyboard codes, as well as the VT-100 keypad codes sent by many terminal applications. Extra ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 10 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- code is included to handle the non-standard codes sent by FrontDoor Terminal. Automatic line- and word-wrap while entering text, including full paragraph reformatting. Word-wrapped paragraphs are automatically reformatted as text is entered or deleted. User screen length is adjusted by the user file information to provide the maximum possible editing area. Screen output is optimized for screen size and terminal emulation mode as well. Very easy-to-use interface provides a short learning curve for new as well as experienced users. An all new, intuitive menu system helps beginners get up to speed quickly. Advanced file import and export functions, including the ability to load a file into the quote window for browsing and pasting text, are included. The user can adjust their terminal settings without leaving the editor. A keystroke is included to allow the Sysop to immediately disconnect those "problem" users. The Sysop can adjust the time remaining for a user with a keystroke. Flexible quote window with full navigation makes replying to messages easier than ever. The quote window can also be adjusted at will to provide a larger viewing area. The quote option is only available when quote text is present to avoid confusion. Message information such as the sender name, receiver name and message subject are displayed while editing when GEdit is used with supported software packages. Multiple node support, including enhanced support for EzyCom, is now included. GEdit will now match the requirements of all supported software. GEdit supports EzyCom's extended editor interface allowing multiple nodes to run from a single directory. Minimal screen updating for improved response time with slower modem connections. Sysop features such as file import and export and programmable function keys are usable during both remote and local sessions. See the command-line option section for information on enabling this feature. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 11 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Technical Features GEdit is written in 100% C++ and compiled using the Microsoft C++ compiler. All of the support classes were developed in-house and no external libraries were used. The class library and tools are in the process of being packaged for resale. For more information, see Appendix B. Serial communications are performed using the FOSSIL driver for the widest possible compatibility. In order to support systems that do not use a FOSSIL driver, interrupt-driven serial port routines are built-in. Carrier, user time remaining and idle time-outs are all monitored internally for safe operation, eliminating down-time. All video routines are handled internally, including the ANSI and AVATAR/0+ emulation decoding. This eliminates the need for DVANSI, ANSI.SYS or any other console drivers. Most multitaskers are supported, including DESQview , Microsoft Windows, and OS/2. Idle time-slices are passed off to the multitasker for scheduling to other tasks. Network compatible, including Novell NetWare 386, Microsoft Windows for Workgroups, Lantastic and NetWare Lite. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 12 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Installation GEdit is simple to install and only requires modification to your BBS configuration. GEdit has been tested with the following packages: RemoteAccess [including RA/Professional] 1.11 and 2.00, EzyCom 1.02, ProBoard 1.30, SuperBBS 1.17, QuickBBS 2.76, and BlueWave 2.10 In addition to the above software packages, GEdit will work with any BBS that can create a DORINFO1.DEF file and uses the QuickBBS MSGTMP style full-screen editor interface. (See Appendix A for more information on the MSGTMP interface.) GEdit has been designed to automatically detect the BBS package in use. However, due to the number of different packages now available, certain restrictions have been placed on this features. In order to ensure correct identification of the BBS type, GEdit will scan the environment for the environment variables used by the different software packages. The environment variables scanned for are: Env. Variable Software Package EZY EzyCom PROBOARD ProBoard QUICK QuickBBS RA RemoteAccess SBBS SuperBBS If more than one of these variables are specified, you must use the GEDIT environment variable to tell GEdit which BBS is being used. The GEdit Environment Variable Certain system configurations specify more than one BBS environment variable and may cause the automatic configuration routines to fail. Because of this, there is a GEDIT environment variable that can be used to override the default detection. The environment variable must be set before running GEdit. An example of setting the GEdit environment variable would be: SET GEDIT=BBS:PROBOARD This would force GEdit to attempt to obtain the exit information from the ProBoard system files before attempting to automatically determine the system configuration. The following option is used by GEdit from the GEDIT environment variable. BBS:<type> Forces GEdit to check for a specific BBS package before checking for others. If the specified BBS package could not be found, the ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 13 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- automatic detection will attempt to determine the real type. This is only needed on systems that have more than one of the BBS environment variables defined. The following values are valid: Value Software Package ----- ---------------- DORINFO Generic DORINFO1.DEF Type System EZY EzyCom PROBOARD ProBoard RA RemoteAccess QUICK QuickBBS SBBS SuperBBS Installing GEdit on Your BBS To install GEdit on your BBS, you must first unpack the archive into a directory. GEdit should be placed in it's own directory underneath your main bulletin board system directory. For example: C:\RA\GEDIT Installing GEdit in it's own directory allows you to keep GEdit and it's associated files in a single location. This is not required, but does keep the system directory less cluttered. The GEdit help files (GE_?????.A??) can either be located in the same directory as GEDIT.EXE, or they can be placed in your BBS text file directory. The text file directory is checked first, and if the files are not found, the directory containing GEDIT.EXE is then checked. GEdit will store any additional files, such as the function key definition file and configuration file, in the same directory as GEDIT.EXE. If you are running a multiple-line system, make sure that all of the nodes are using the same copy of GEDIT.EXE. If all lines are not using the same program file, the configuration and macro files may not contain the same information. In order for users to be able to use GEdit, you must install it as the full-screen editor in your BBS configuration file. Example command- lines for the supported BBS packages are shown below: RemoteAccess C:\RA\GEDIT\GEDIT.EXE -N*N *M EzyCom C:\EZY\GEDIT\GEDIT.EXE -N*N *M SuperBBS C:\SUPERBBS\GEDIT\GEDIT.EXE -N*N *S QuickBBS C:\QUICKBBS\GEDIT\GEDIT.EXE -N*N *M ProBoard *SGEDIT\GEDIT.EXE -N*# Generic C:\BBS\GEDIT\GEDIT.EXE ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 14 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- If your BBS software is not supported in this version of GEdit, please urge the BBS author to contact The Developers Network, Inc. If possible, support will be added. Installing GEdit for Use With BlueWave GEdit can be installed for use with BlueWave by specifying GEDIT.EXE as the external editor name in the BlueWave configuration. When GEdit is loaded by BlueWave, GEdit will come up in local mode and allow the message to be edited. When entering a new message, editing proceeds normally. When replying to a message, GEdit will place the quoted reply text in the quote buffer for selected pasting of quote text. When editing an existing message, GEdit will still place the text in the quote buffer since BlueWave does not make any sort of "editor information" file for use by the editor. To install GEdit, unpack the GEdit archive into it's own directory and configure GEdit to use GEdit as the external editor. An example: C:\BLUEWAVE\GEDIT.EXE ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 15 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Command-Line Parameters Some GEdit options can be configured using command-line parameters. All command-line parameters must be separated by spaces and parameters cannot be combined. -N<node> Indicates the node number of the current user on-line. If this option is not specified, GEdit will default to 1. -S<level> Indicates the minimum Sysop security level. If the user's security level is equal to or greater than the level specified, the Sysop functions (function keys, file importing, etc.) are available to the user during local and remote editing sessions. !! NOTE !! If you are using a supported BBS package, you should not use any of the following variables! -R<lines> Indicates the number of lines to use for the editing area. The information is normally read from the user record. When editing in local mode, the number of lines is equal to the current screen length. -A<graphics> Indicates the graphics capabilities of the user. "1" indicates ANSI, "2" indicates AVATAR, and "3" indicates both ANSI and AVATAR (AVATAR will be used). -M<timeLeft> Indicates the number of minutes remaining in the editing session. -I<inActive> Indicates the number of seconds the user is allowed to remain idle before being disconnected. This is ignored in local mode. Multiple command-line parameters can be specified. Each individual command-line parameter must be separated by a space. An example would be: GEDIT.EXE -N3 -S100 This would load GEdit, specify the node number as node 3 and specify a Sysop security level of 100. Any user with a security level of 100 or greater will have access to the Sysop functions while editing. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 16 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Using GEdit GEdit provides the user an easy-to-understand screen layout to make editing messages easier. The screen layout is clean and provides the largest possible workspace for editing. The GEdit screen is divided into sections. There is an information bar at the top of the screen, the editing window is in the middle and the command section is at the bottom of the screen. On the left side of the information bar, operational information is shown, including the program version, terminal emulation mode and editing mode. The editing mode has three possible settings, insert mode (INS), overwrite mode (OVR) or line drawing mode (LIN). The middle portion of the information bar contains who the message is from, who it is to, and the subject of the message. The right side of the information bar displays the local time on the BBS and the number of minutes remaining on-line. As time remaining runs short, the time remaining counter will flash and a warning beep will sound every minute. The editing portion of the screen is where the message text is displayed. New text is displayed in one color and quoted message text is displayed in a different color. When replying to a message, the editing window is divided into two sections and the quote window is displayed in the lower portion with a line separating the two areas. The separator contains a quick reference of the extra keystrokes available while the cursor is located in the quote window. The command section and the editing area are separated by a help line. The help line tells the user which keys will activate the GEdit menu and quote function. The quote function is only available when replying to a message and quote text is available. The name of the area where the message is being entered is centered on the line. The command section has several purposes. Copyright and registration information is displayed during normal editing. When the menu is activated, the menu options are displayed. When an operation is completed, status messages are displayed. Entering a Message Using GEdit to enter a message is easier than using a line-oriented editor. There are no complex commands to learn and you can reword a phrase as many times as you like and correct errors as you go. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 17 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Before you begin typing, position the cursor where you want to insert the text. If the message doesn't contain any text, the cursor is already positioned at the beginning of the message. To position the cursor, press the arrow keys or the HOME, END, PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN keys. To add text to a document, position the cursor where you want to insert new text and type the new text. As you type, the cursor advances to the right. GEdit automatically adjust the text between the right and left margins, starting a new line where necessary. This is called word-wrap. NOTE: If you press the INSERT key, the status bar at the top of the screen displays "OVR" for over-type mode. The next text you type replaces the text that is at the cursor position. If you press INSERT again, the text you type is inserted to the left of any existing text; the existing text moves to the right. Do not press the ENTER key at the end of each line. Instead, press ENTER only to start a new paragraph. If you press ENTER at the end of each line, GEdit can't adjust the line breaks when you add or delete text. Take advantage of word-wrap; it is one of the many benefits of using a full-screen editor. Editing a Message Editing, or revising, message text is easy with GEdit. You can delete, insert or rearrange text in a message. To delete a line of text, press (Control-Y). The current text line will be deleted and stored in a "scrap" buffer. The size of the scrap buffer is limited only by available memory. To insert a previously deleted line of text, press (Control-U). The last deleted line of text is inserted before the current text line. If there are no lines remaining in the scrap buffer, nothing is inserted. Quoting Original Message Text When replying to a message, it is a polite to "quote" text from the original message to allow the original author to establish the context of your reply. GEdit allows you to view the original message text in a "quoted" form and gives you the ability to insert portions of the quoted text into your reply message text. If quoted text is available, the [ ^Q=Quote ] indicator will be visible on the lower status line of the editing screen. To open the quote windows, press (Control-Q) or activate the menu and select (Q)uote, (O)pen. The message editing area is separated into upper and lower sections. The quote text is displayed in the lower window. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 18 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The cursor can be positioned in the quote window using the same keys that are used to position the cursor when editing the message text. However, the text in the quote window cannot be modified. To copy an entire line of text from the quote window into the message, position the cursor at the beginning of the line you wish to copy and press the [Enter] key. This line will be copied into the message at the message window's cursor position and the cursor will move down one line. To copy a partial line of text, position the cursor at the first character in the line you want to copy and hit [Enter]. The text from the cursor position to the end of the line will be copied into the message. If there is a quote header at the beginning of the line, it will be added to the beginning of the line automatically. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 19 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Controlling GEdit from the Local Keyboard GEdit has a number of features that are available from the local keyboard. These features are only useful on the local GEdit system and have no benefit for the remote user. User Interface Features The user interface library used by GEdit provides many advanced capabilities. All of the windows on the screen are independent and each window executes a different thread of code. Moving and Resizing Windows All of the windows in GEdit (except for the gray dialog boxes) can be moved and resized using the mouse. The size of a window is limited by the physical size of the screen. On a system with an EGA or VGA display adapter, you can use Alt-E to switch between 25 line and 43/50 line modes. To resize a window, move the mouse cursor to the lower-right corner of the window and press and hold the left mouse button. Move the mouse to adjust the window size. To move a window, move the mouse cursor to the top row of the window and press and hold the left mouse button. Move the mouse and the window will follow the mouse around the screen. NOTE: A window does not have to be on top to be resized or moved. Any window whose control points are accessable can be adjusted. Using Dialog Boxes GEdit uses dialog boxes to allow configuration of certain items such as programmable function keys. A dialog box contains a series of "controls" that allow input. The active control has a different appearance than the other controls. Active fields are a different color and contain a cursor for editing the field text. Active buttons are surrounded by a double border. To move between fields in a dialog box, use tab, shift-tab, or the arrow keys. The tab key will move to the next field in the dialog's tab order, the shift-tab key moves to the previous field. The arrow keys function changes depending on the type of the current field. The [Enter] and [Escape] keys have special meaning in a dialog box. The [Enter] key will activate the default button in the dialog (indicated by a half double border) as another button is not the active control. The [Escape] key is the equivalent of canceling the operation, usually without saving any changes. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The mouse can be used to select controls in a dialog by clicking the left mouse button. Selecting a button with the mouse will execute the command associated with that button. Selecting a field will make the field active. If an active field is selected with the mouse, the cursor will move to the selected location in the field. The Editing Window The editing window where the editor module of GEdit runs is a virtual, buffered window. This means that the actual size of window buffer may be larger than the visible on-screen window. This occurs when a user with a screen length longer than the local physical screen can handle uses GEdit. When this happens, the visible portion of the buffer will "shift" as it follows the cursor, causing other portions of the screen to disappear past the edges of the on-screen window. This shifting is only visible on the local screen and the user is unaware that it is occurring. The Status Bar When a remote user is editing with GEdit, a status bar emulating the status bar of the BBS package is displayed. The status bar changes appearance and size, depending on the BBS package in use. This allows the local Sysop to view information about the current user. The function keys Shift-F1 through Shift-F10 are used to select which status bar panel to view and correspond to the F1 through F10 keys used by the BBS package. Color Configuration The colors in the editing window can be configured using the GEdit configuration dialog. To display the configuration dialog, press Alt- S while GEdit is loaded. The up and down arrow keys are used to adjust the foreground and the left and right arrow keys are used to adjust the background of the currently selected color. You can select the current color using the F5 and F6 keys. When you are finished, press [Escape] to close the configuration dialog and save the color changes. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 21 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The GEdit Menu System GEdit uses a menu system to provide access to the large number of new features that are available. The system consists of a series of nested menus, each grouped by function. To access the menu, either press [Escape] or [Control-O] and the menu will be displayed. When using GEdit from remote, there may be a slight delay due to the remote input processing routines. Once the menu is displayed, you select an option by pressing the letter that is highlighted in the menu option. If that option contains a sub menu of other options, the sub menu is displayed, otherwise the option is selected. If you wish to return to the previous menu or exit the menu system, press [Escape] or [Control-O]. The Main Menu The main menu contains the most basic functions, as well as options to display the more advanced menus. The following options are available at the main menu. Message Displays the message sub-menu. Quote Displays the quote sub-menu. Terminal Displays the terminal sub-menu. Help Displays the help sub-menu. Save Saves the current message and exits the editor. Continue Returns the cursor to the editing screen and exits the menu system. Abort Exits the editor without saving the current message. A confirmation prompt is displayed. The Message Menu The message menu includes commands that affect the current message being edited. The following commands are available: Clear Clears the current message text, allowing the user to begin the message from scratch. A confirmation prompt is displayed. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 22 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Export Allows the user to export the current message text to a file on the system running the editor. NOTE: The user must have Sysop security to use this function. Import Allows the user to import text from a file on the system running the editor into the current message at the current cursor location. NOTE: The user must have Sysop security to use this function. The Quote Menu The quote menu includes commands that control the use of the quote window. The following commands are available: Open Opens the quote window if quote text is available. Close Closes the quote window if it is open. Switch Switches the cursor between the quote window and the message text window. Erase Erases the text contained in the quote window and closes the quote window. Use this option when the quote text is no longer needed and memory is low. Load Allows the user to load a text file from the system running the editor into the quote window. The text may then be pasted into the message text using regular quoting procedures. NOTE: The user must have Sysop security to use this function. The Help Menu The help menu allows the user to access the various help screens that are available. The following selections are available: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 23 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Editing Explains the concepts of using a full-screen message editor and gives a basic introduction to using GEdit. Quoting Explains what message quoting is and how it is used. Keyboard Lists the function of all the keys on the keyboard as they operate within GEdit. The Terminal Menu The terminal menu allows the user to configure the various terminal- related options of the editor. The following options are available: ANSI-BBS The most basic form of ANSI emulation. This mode is used with terminal programs that only support a very minimal amount of the ANSI standard. ANSI 3.64 The regular ANSI settings used by most terminal programs. Uses a number of advanced ANSI commands, including line-scrolling and clearing codes. AVATAR/0 The basic AVATAR emulation standard as defined in FSC-0025 of the FidoNET technical standards document. This should be used with terminals that do not support the advanced AVATAR specification. AVATAR/0+ The advanced AVATAR emulation standard as defined in FSC-0037 of the FidoNET technical standards document. This should be used with terminals that fully support AVATAR/0+. Color Selects color operation. This is the standard mode of operation. Mono Selects black and white operation. All color codes are suppressed, allowing users without color displays to use the editor without straining their eyes to determine the difference between various ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 24 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- shades of gray. Great for users with LCD screens as well. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 25 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Keyboard Reference The following keys are available while editing with GEdit. Due to the fact that many terminal programs emulate the keyboard in different ways, the KEY column contains the most direct key to perform the specified action. The ANSI/DOORWAY key is the most commonly emulated keystroke that also performs the action. KEY ANSI/DOORWAY DESCRIPTION Control-A (Control-Left) Moves the cursor to the beginning of the previous word. Control-B Centers the current line of text. Control-C (PgDn) Moves the cursor down one screen. Control-D (Right) Moves the cursor one column to the right. Control-E (Up) Moves the cursor one row up. Control-F (Control-Right) Moves the cursor to the beginning of the next word. Control-G (Delete) Deletes the character under the cursor. If the cursor is at the end of the line, the next line is moved up to the current line and the text is reformatted. Control-H (Backspace) Deletes the previous character. If the cursor is at the beginning of the line, the cursor will move to the end of the previous line, possibly causing the text to be reformatted. (Tab) (Tab) Moves the cursor to the next horizontal tab stop. Control-J (Control-Enter) When the cursor is in the quote window, this key allows the Sysop to search the quote buffer for a text string. When searching, pressing Control-J again after a instance of the specified text is found will search for the next instance of the same text string. Control-K Closes the quote window if it is opened. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 26 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Control-L Repaints the entire screen. Used when line noise causes distortion of the screen display. (Enter) (Enter) Moves the cursor to the beginning of the next line. If the cursor is not at the end of the line while insert mode is active, the rest of the line is moved down to the next line. A reformat is possible. Control-N Toggles line draw mode. The line draw mode indicator is displayed where the insert/overwrite mode indicator is normally located. Control-O (ESC) Activates the editing menu. Control-P (End) Moves the cursor to the next column past the end of the current line. Control-Q Opens the quote window if quote text is available. If the quote window is open, Control-Q will switch between the message window and the quote window. Control-R (PgUp) Moves the cursor up one screen. Control-S (Left) Moves the cursor one column to the left. Control-T Deletes the word to the right of the cursor, possibly causing the paragraph to be reformatted. Control-U Inserts deleted lines from the scrap buffer into the message text. Control-V (Insert) Toggles insert mode. Control-W (Home) Moves the cursor to the beginning of the current line. Control-X (Down) Moves the cursor one row down. Control-Y (Alt-D) Deletes the current line to the scrap buffer. Control-Z (ESC, S) Saves the message and exit the editor. (Control-Home) Moves the cursor to the top row of the editing window. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 27 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (Control-End) Deletes the text from the current cursor position to the end of the line. (Control-PgUp) Moves the cursor to the beginning of the message. (Control-PgDn) Moves the cursor to the end of the message. (Alt-X) Activates the editing menu. Sysop Keys The following keystrokes allow the Sysop to control the current editing session. They are only available to the Sysop when in local mode. (Alt-S) Setup screen colors. A box is displayed that allows the Sysop to configure the current screen colors. Normal execution continues while the box displayed, allowing colors to be configured while a user remains on-line. (Alt-H) Allows the Sysop to disconnect the current user. The user is allowed to continue editing until the selection is made. A confirmation dialog is displayed. (Alt-J) Shells to DOS. The editor will attempt to swap itself out of memory using XMS, EMS or disk. If the swap cannot be performed, an error message is displayed. (Alt-U) Toggles user input. The remote keyboard can be disabled allowing local input only. (Alt-A) Displays operational information about GEdit, including the version, multitasker in use, BBS in use and registration information. (Alt-Minus) Subtracts one minute from the user's time remaining. (Alt-Equal) Adds one minute to the user's time remaining. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 28 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (Alt-K) Displays the text associated with the programmable function keys. (Alt-M) Invokes the programmable function key editor dialog. Allows the Sysop to modify the function key macros. For more information, see the programmable function key section. (Shift-F1) through (Shift-F10) Select which panel of the status bar should be displayed. Note that displaying the status bar in local mode may partially cover the editing window. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 29 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Programmable Function Keys The function keys (F1 through F12) can be programmed to transmit key sequences to the editor. The function key strings are stored in the same directory as GEDIT.EXE and is available to all nodes using the same GEDIT.EXE file. The function keys are edited using the function key editor, which is displayed by pressing Alt-M while GEdit is running. A dialog is displayed containing the twelve function keys and their associated strings. When entering function key strings, the following characters have special meaning. They are translated to the indicated function. | send the [Enter] key ~ Begin control sequence using the next character ~ send a tilde (~) character | send a pipe (|) character ! shell to DOS B send a tab character > send a cursor right < send a cursor left ^ send a cursor up V send a cursor down } send a delete to end of line S save message and exit # save message and exit U insert _message from_ name ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 30 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Appendix A The QuickBBS-style MSGTMP External Editor Interface GEdit uses the QuickBBS-style MSGTMP interface to communicate with the BBS. GEdit uses a temporary text file called MSGTMP (no extension) which must be located in the current directory. If the caller is replying to a message, the BBS quotes the original message text for pasting into the reply and writes it to the MSGTMP file. The lines should be written to the temporary text file separated by a carriage return/line feed sequence. All quote information and prefixes should be added before writing to the file. Once the user has finished editing the message text, GEdit writes the text to the same MSGTMP file, first erasing any existing file. GEdit inserts soft carriage returns (ASCII 141) in the file when the lines are wrapped and hard carriage returns (ASCII 13, ASCII 10) when the caller actually hits the [Enter] key. The BBS must call GEdit with several command line parameters. The required parameters are shown below and must be on the command line exactly as shown. GEDIT.EXE <port> <baud> <timeLeft> <inActive> <port> the communications port number. A value of "1" indicates COM1, "2" indicates COM2, etc. A value of "0" places GEdit in local mode. <baud> the callers baud rate. This is the computer to modem speed, not the carrier line speed. If a baud rate of "0" is passed, local mode operation is assumed. <timeLeft> the number of minutes remaining for the user on this call. <inActive> the number of seconds the user is allowed to stay idle without pressing any keystrokes before the system will disconnect. When GEdit exits, an error level will be returned to the BBS. The following values are possible: 0 Normal exit, the edited message text is stored in MSGTMP and is ready to be imported into the message base by the BBS. 1 Abnormal exit, the user either aborted the message or the saved message did not contain any text. Either way, the message should not be saved and the entry function should abort. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 31 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 Abnormal exit, the user time remaining of idle time-out period expired. The BBS should disconnect the user. If GEdit returns to the BBS with the carrier signal low, it should assume the caller was disconnected and discard the message text. GEdit should be called directly; another copy of COMMAND.COM should NOT be loaded. This is must faster and takes less memory. The BBS should only allow users with either ANSI or AVATAR graphics capability to access GEdit. GEdit uses VT-100, ANSI and AVATAR screen control codes to format all screen displays. GEdit will use the FOSSIL driver (revision 5) if installed. If no FOSSIL driver is found, GEdit will attempt to open the port using it's own built-in serial routines. If this fails, an error message will be displayed and GEdit will not load. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 32 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Appendix B Troubleshooting Problems GEdit doesn't seem to be recognizing what type of bulletin board software I am using? Make sure that the correct BBS environment variable is set to the system path of the BBS. If it is set, make sure that no other BBS environment variables are set that would indicate another BBS package in use. If you require multiple BBS environment variables, you must use the GEDIT environment variable to force GEdit to assume a specific software package. GEdit says that it is an unregistered evaluation version, but I have registered and received my key. Your registration key should be renamed to "GEDIT.KEY" and should be located in the same directory as the "GEDIT.EXE" program file. Make sure that the executable you are calling from the BBS is indeed the one that has the corresponding key file located in the same directory. GEdit key files are 606 bytes in length and can be displayed from the DOS prompt using the TYPE command. If your key is not 606 bytes, your key file has been corrupted. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 33 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Appendix C The DOS Application Class Library Over the past nine months we have developed a class library for developing DOS-based C++ applications. The library contains a large collection of programming tools. The main library contains full implementations of the common utility classes including static and dynamic linked-lists, strings (including Pascal string support), points, and rectangles. Flexible input device support for keyboard, mouse and joystick. Keyboard messages include key pressed, keystroke and key released. A powerful interface to the system timer, including countdown, countup, and interval timers. Full background sound support, including compatibility with the BASIC play command. The system event manager provides internal message-based multitasking similar to the architecture of Microsoft Windows. All processes within an application are derived from a base instance class, and processing time is passed from instance to instance. Performance is extremely fast and application flexibility is amazingly easy to harness in any project. The screen library contains support for monochrome and color screens, including EGA and VGA displays. Support for non-standard display modes, including 132 column modes, is included. The window classes are derived from the instance class, giving each window it's own message handler. Each window on the screen is managed by the frame management functions. Once a window is created, it can be written to at any time, regardless of the windows z-order in the window list. The windows on-screen size can differ from the actual size of the associated buffer, being smaller or larger. Buffer size is limited by memory, window size is limited by screen size. An on-screen window frame can be moved or resized at any time, regardless of the windows z-order. Windows can be borderless or bordered. Window borders include captions, scroll- bars, and resize controls. The mouse can be used to move and resize any on-screen window. The windowing library also includes an extensible screen saver class. This class allows you to create custom screen saver modules that can be invoked automatically as keyboard and mouse activity stops. Modules can be created to display progress information or whatever else is needed. The application continues to function unaware that the screen saver has been displayed. As soon as the user hits a key or moves the mouse, the original display is restored without requiring any application interruption. A few sample modules, including the infamous NetWare snake and a moving clock, are included to demonstrate using these classes. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 34 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The user interface library includes pull-down, pop-up and cascading menus. Full mouse support for the menus is included, and menus are independent window instances within the application architecture. By using system-wide accelerators, hot-keys can be defined for menu options, eliminating the need for an application to check each keystroke for a function. Dialog boxes are also part of the interface library. Many controls are supported in the dialog manager, including groups, edit boxes (including formatted fields), command buttons, radio buttons, check- boxes, list-boxes and combo-boxes. The dialog manager is part of the application architecture, and takes advantage of many of the system features. Convenient predefined dialogs such a message boxes are also included. The communications library provides access to many types of communication interfaces, including interrupt-driven serial ports, parallel ports, a FOSSIL interface, a DigiBoard interface, Network Product Corporation's NCSI serial interface, and NetWare IPX/SPX. A base session class and derived classes for each communication types allows code to be written to a single class. The code can then be used for any of the derived interface classes, eliminating the need to rewrite or modify code when different interfaces are supported. Internal support for decoding ANSI and AVATAR/0+ emulation sequences are included and are 100% compliant with the corresponding specifications. The routines are designed to use the windowing classes in the window library, and all output is optimized for fast response. Protocol classes including Xmodem, Ymodem and Zmodem, written to use the base session class, are included giving the application easy access to internal transfer protocols. Since all of these classes are written for use with the application class library, all of the internal multitasking capabilities are exploited, allowing maximum application flexibility. The database library includes basic file input and output services such as read and write. Binary and text files are supported. File name and path name functions are included to resolved path names and verify valid file and path names. The record manager is a B*Tree indexed record manager allowing both fixed and variable length records including full indices to be stored in a single file. The page-oriented system includes multi-user access and controlled record and file locking. The system is reasonably small and very fast. It uses several of the file and container class functions from the remainder of the library, keeping code size small. The multimedia library includes classes to control CD-Audio devices, Adlib, SoundBlaster and ProAudioSpectrum sound cards. DMA wave file playback and recording functions, as well as FM music routines are included. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 35 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The network library includes support for NetWare LANs, and provides access to a subset of the NetWare API. A device instance allows monitoring of network messages for interception and display, eliminating the annoying "white line message" that NetWare often displays on the bottom line of the screen, locking up your application until the user presses a key. The message is displayed in a message box. The door interface library allows bulletin board doors to be written using the class library, giving the application access to the information necessary to communicate with the user. The door library uses the libraries own FOSSIL, DigiBoard or direct serial port routines providing maximum flexibility and minimal code size. To help the programmer use these tools, a number of sample applications are included. All include well commented source code and are easy to understand. Announcements will be made once the library approaches release. If you are interested in more information, contact The Developers Network, Inc. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved GEdit 2.01 July 1, 1993 Page 36 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Index BBS, 9 EzyCom, 9, 10, 13 ProBoard, 9, 14 QuickBBS, 9, 14 RemoteAccess, 9, 13 SuperBBS, 9, 13 BlueWave, 14 colors, 20 Command-Line, 15 DORINFO1.DEF, 12 editing window, 16, 20 environment variable, 32 EZY, 12, 13 GEDIT, 12 PROBOARD, 12, 13 QUICK, 12, 13 RA, 12, 13 SBBS, 12, 13 Function Keys, 29 insert mode, 16 line drawing mode, 16 menu system, 21 message subject, 16 MSGTMP, 12, 30 multitaskers, 11 DESQview, 11 Microsoft Windows, 11 OS/2, 11 Networks, 11 Lantastic, 11 Microsoft Windows for Workgroups, 11 NetWare Lite, 11 Novell NetWare 386, 11 overwrite mode, 16 quote, 17 Registering, 7 Benefits, 7 credit card, 7 Public (software) Library, 7 Registration Form, 8 Upgrade, 7 Status Bar, 20 Table of Contents, 3 The Developers Network BBS, 6 warning beep, 16 windows, 19 Dialog Boxes, 19 Moving, 19 Resizing, 19 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1992,93 The Developers Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved